'That's my sister waving!': BGC Portal connects Filipinos to the world
DUBLIN, Ireland—Ever wondered what the newly opened BGC Portal looks like from halfway across the world?
Dublin’s Filipino community recently got a glimpse of that and turned it into a celebration. At North Earl Street, just steps from the iconic Spire, a crowd of excited Filipinos gathered at 10 a.m., waving flags and greeting the glowing circular screen with heartfelt “Mabuhay!”
Faces lit up as friends and families stood at the Portal even in the rain. Wearing coats and woolly hats, Pinoys enjoyed the magical window from Manila to Dublin that made the gap feel just a little bit smaller.
Among them was Mara Merza, who has lived in Ireland for four years. Holding up her phone, she connects with her sister through Facebook Messenger, then excitedly points to the live feed.
“That’s my sister waving—the one wearing the maroon shirt,” Mara says, smiling. Her sister works just “one street away” from the newly opened Portal in Manila.
On the other side of the world, Filipinos in BGC return the greeting with wide smiles and enthusiastic waves, embracing the 24/7 livestream installation that collapses thousands of miles into a single shared moment.
“It feels good to see a part of the Philippines in Dublin,” Mara says. While her sister has often seen Dublin through video calls, the Portal now allows her to witness the city live, in real time. Mara hopes they will meet at the Portal again “from time to time.”
Nearby, Jenise Palenzuela scans the screen until she spots her brother waving back from Manila.
“I feel really good—it’s just like facing them in real time,” she says. “It’s also nice to see people in the Philippines.”
As rain begins to fall, Eliseo Arado jumps into view, eagerly waving at his nieces and his nephew. He says the launch couldn’t have come at a better time as it happened to be his day off.
“I even gave them money for dinner,” he laughs. “It’s already night in the Philippines—10 a.m. here, 6 p.m. in Manila. They’re off work, so we have time to see each other. It’s perfect timing.”
The newly launched Manila Portal joins the growing global network, now connecting live with Portals in Vilnius (Lithuania), Lublin (Poland), Philadelphia (United States), Ipswich (United Kingdom), and Dublin (Ireland)—turning distant cities into shared windows of connection.
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